Quantity: 8 individual cakes

Equipment
For the crumble base: round cutter 3.5cm diameter
For the insert: 4cm demi-sphere mould
For the sake lees mousse: 6cm demi-sphere mould
For the sake jelly: 5cm demi-sphere mould

 

Crumble base

 

  1. Paddle butter with brown sugar.
  2. Add almond powder and paddle to combine.
  3. Add flour and salt, mix until just incorporated.
  4. Roughly roll over a wire grill on top of silicon mat to create crumble.
  5. Bake at 160°C for 12-15 minutes.
  6. Let cool. Then transfer to the mixer and paddle to break it up into small pieces.
  7. Melt 15% of the weight of the crumble of the coca butter in a small pot. While paddling, pour in the melted cocoa butter and mix well.
  8. Roll the crumble in between 2 acetate sheets to a thickness of 0.4cm. Freeze.
  9. Using the 3.5cm round cutter and cut to the size of the mould.

 

Sansho yuzu curd

 

  1. In a bowl, combine yuzu juice, water, lemon zest, eggs, sugar, sansho leaves and sansho pepper.
  2. In a bain-marie over simmering water, cook while whisking constantly until thickened to soft peaks.
  3. Add the gelatine and stir until it is dissolved.
  4. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and blend while adding in the cold butter one piece at a time.
  5. Pass through a sieve and pipe into demi-sphere moulds, leaving a space of 0.5cm at the top.
  6. Freeze.

 

Miso caramel

 

  1. In a medium pot, combine glucose, sugar and water.
  2. Caramelise till golden brown and de-glaze with 170g of the cream extracted earlier.
  3. Let cool to about 50°C.
  4. With a hand-blender, emulsify salt and butter into the caramel.
  5. Pipe the caramel on top of the curd in the demi-sphere moulds, then scrape it flat and freeze.

 

Sake lees mousse

 

  1. Heat milk and sugar together, just enough to dissolve the sugar and melt the gelatine.
  2. Add the sake lees and hand-blend until smooth.
  3. Ice bath the mixture until cool.
  4. Fold in the whipped cream.

 

Cherry blossom whipped ganache

 

  1. Boil the cream, trimoline and glucose.
  2. Add the gelatine to melt.
  3. Pour over the white chocolate and hand-blend.
  4. Add the cherry blossom syrup, hand-blend.
  5. Chill overnight to set.

 

Sake and cherry blossom jelly

 

  1. Trim off the stem of each cherry blossom flower and soak the flowers in cold water to remove the salt.
  2. Combine all ingredients except the cherry blossoms in a small pot and bring to a boil.
  3. Pour the mixture into the 5cm demi-sphere moulds and fill almost to the top.
  4. In each demi-sphere, add 1 cherry blossom flower, allowing its petals to open.
  5. Chill to set.

 

White chocolate glaze

 

  1. Melt the white chocolate and cocoa butter together and handblend the colouring powder in.
  2. Use at 40-50°C.

 

Assembly

 

  1. Place a disc of crumble at the base of the 6cm demi-sphere mould and fill halfway with sake lees mousse.
  2. Press the sansho yuzu curd and caramel insert into the mould.
  3. Fill the mould to the brim with more sake lees mousse, scrape flat and freeze.
  4. Spread some sake lees mousse onto a silpat to the thickness of 0.3cm. When frozen, cut with the 3.5cm cutter.
  5. When frozen, unmould the sake lees mousse and dip into the white chocolate glaze (rounded side down), scraping off excess glaze at the base.
  6. Place the disc of sake mousse on top in the middle of the dome.
  7. Place the sake jelly on top of the sake lees mousse.
  8. Whisk the cherry blossom whipped ganache to stiff peaks and pipe onto the sides of the cake.